Exploring the Illness Perceptions of Patients With Urostomy Based on the Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation: A Descriptive Qualitative Study.

Illness perceptions play a significant role in coping and self-management behaviors adopted by patients when facing health threats. To understand the illness perceptions of patients with urostomy, we conducted a descriptive qualitative study. An interview guide was formed based on the common-sense model of self-regulation(CSM), and 19 patients with urostomy were recruited through maximum variation purposive sampling for in-depth semi-structured interviews between January 2024 and June 2024.

Exceptional Strength-Ductility Combinations of a CoCrNi-Based Medium-Entropy Alloy via Short/Medium-Time Annealing after Hot-Rolling.

Strong yet ductile alloys have long been desired for industrial applications to enhance structural reliability. This work produced two (CoCrNi)AlTiC medium-entropy alloys with exceptional strength-ductility combinations, via short/medium (3 min/30 min) annealing times after hot-rolling. Three types of intergranular precipitates including MC, MC carbides, and L1 phase were detected in both samples.

Origin of the Efficiency Roll-off in Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes: An Electrically Excited Transient Absorption Spectroscopy Study.

In situ characterizations of charge injection dynamics, equilibrated concentration, and electric field distributions shed light on the critical mechanisms of quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs). In this work, we developed electrically excited transient absorption spectroscopy, which can provide the above key information, to investigate the efficiency roll-off of QD-LEDs. We found that the average electron populations per QD are low when QD-LEDs exhibit efficiency roll-off, excluding Auger recombination as the main cause.

Engineering electronic structures and oxygen vacancies of manganese-doped nickel molybdate porous nanosheets for efficient oxygen evolution reaction.

The design strategy of designing effective local electronic structures of active sites to improve the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance is the key to the success of sustainable alkaline water electrolysis processes. Herein, a series of manganese-doped nickel molybdate porous nanosheets with rich oxygen vacancies on the nickel foam (Mn-NiMoO/NF PNSs) synthesized by the facile hydrothermal and following annealing routes are used as high-efficiency and robust catalysts towards OER. By virtue of unique nanosheets architectures, more exposed active site, rich oxygen vacancies, tailored electronic structures, and improved electrical conductivity induced by Mn incorporation, as predicted, the optimized Mn-NiMoO/NF PNSs catalyst exhibits superior the OER performance with a low overpotential of 211 mV at 10 mA‧cm, a small Tafel slope of 41.

Minimizing heat generation in quantum dot light-emitting diodes by increasing quasi-Fermi-level splitting.

Minimizing heat accumulation is essential to prolonging the operational lifetime of quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs). Reducing heat generation at the source is the ideal solution, which requires high brightness and quantum efficiency at low driving voltages. Here we propose to enhance the brightness of QD-LEDs at low driving voltages by using a monolayer of large QDs to reduce the packing number in the emitting layer.

Clinical study of melodic intonation therapy combined with transcranial direct current stimulation for post-stroke aphasia: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Background: Globally, more than 10 million new stroke cases occur annually, of which aphasia accounts for about one-third. Aphasia has become an independent predictor of functional dependence and death for the stroke population. The closed-loop rehabilitation of combining behavioral therapy with central nerve stimulation seems to be the research trend of post-stroke aphasia (PSA) due to its advantages in improving linguistic deficits.

The Feasibility of An Automatical Facial Evaluation System Providing Objective and Reliable Results for Facial Palsy.

Facial palsy would lead to a series of physical and mental problems, as facial function plays an important role in various aspects of daily life. However, the current strategies for evaluating facial function relied heavily on raters and the results varied from the experience of raters. Thus, an objective and accurate facial evaluation system is always claimed.

Effects of the Left M1 iTBS on Brain Semantic Network Plasticity in Patients with Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Preliminary Study.

Background: The left primary motor area (M1) stimulation has recently been revealed to promote post-stroke aphasia (PSA) recovery, of which a plausible mechanism might be the semantic and/or the mirror neuron system reorganization, but the direct evidence is still scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the functional connectivity (FC) alterations induced by the left M1 intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a new transcranial magnetic stimulation paradigm, in the semantic and mirror neuron systems of PSA patients.

Methods: Sixteen PSA patients accepted the left M1 iTBS and underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) scanning before and immediately after the first session of iTBS, of which six underwent another fMRI scanning after twenty sessions of iTBS.

Research Hotspots and Frontiers of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Stroke: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Over the past decade, many studies in the field of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in stroke have been published in scholarly journals. However, a scientometric analysis focusing on tDCS after stroke is still missing. The purpose of this study is to deliver a bibliometric analysis to investigate the global hotspots and frontiers in the domain of tDCS in stroke from 2012 to 2021.

Comparison of three cognitive assessment methods in post-stroke aphasia patients.

Background: The cognitive level of post-stroke aphasia (PSA) patients is generally lower than non-aphasia patients, and cognitive impairment (CI) affects the outcome of stroke. However, for different types of PSA, what kind of cognitive assessment methods to choose is not completely clear. We investigated the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Non-language-based Cognitive Assessment (NLCA) to observe the evaluation effect of CI in patients with fluent aphasia (FA) and non-fluent aphasia (NFA).

The Facial Skin Blood Flow Change of Stroke Patients with Facial Paralysis after Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation: A Pilot Study.

Background: Facial paralysis (FP) is a common symptom after stroke, which influences the quality of life and prognosis of patients. Recently, peripheral magnetic stimulation (PMS) shows potential effects on peripheral and central nervous system damage. However, the effect of PMS on FP after stroke is still unclear.

Determining levels of linguistic deficit by applying cluster analysis to the aphasia quotient of Western Aphasia Battery in post-stroke aphasia.

The aphasia quotient of Western Aphasia Battery (WAB-AQ) has been used as an inclusion criterion and as an outcome measure in clinical, research, or community settings. The WAB-AQ is also commonly used to measure recovery. This study aimed to quantitatively determine levels of the linguistic deficit by using a cluster analysis of the WAB-AQ in post-stroke aphasia (PSA).

Effects of oxygen on the adsorption/oxidation of aqueous Sb(III) by Fe-loaded biochar: An X-ray absorption spectroscopy study.

Fe-loaded biochar (FeBC) has been considered for Sb(III) adsorption, but the effects of oxygen (O) on the adsorption need further investigation. Liquid-/solid-phase analyses were conducted to investigate the role of O in the Sb(III) adsorption by FeBC. The adsorption was best described by the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model for kinetic results and by the Langmuir model for thermodynamic results.

Exploring Alternative Measurements of Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Patients With Mild Ischemic Stroke at Acute Phase.

Background: While emerging studies have suggested an association of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) with stroke risk and overall health outcomes, little is known regarding the optimum methods of CRF measurement in patients with mild acute ischemic stroke.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the association between the 6-min walk distance (6MWD) and other measurements related to CRF in patients with mild ischemic stroke at the acute stage.

Methods: A total of 30 patients with stroke and 71 healthy subjects matched for age and grip strength (GS) were prospectively recruited.

Capturing Neuroplastic Changes after iTBS in Patients with Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Pilot fMRI Study.

Intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) is a high-efficiency transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigm that has been applied to post-stroke aphasia (PSA). However, its efficacy mechanisms have not been clarified. This study aimed to explore the immediate effects of iTBS of the primary motor cortex (M1) of the affected hemisphere, on the functional activities and connectivity of the brains of PSA patients.

Long-term Effectiveness and Adoption of a Cellphone Augmented Reality System on Patients with Stroke: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: A serious game-based cellphone augmented reality system (CARS) was developed for rehabilitation of stroke survivors, which is portable, convenient, and suitable for self-training.

Objective: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of CARS in improving upper limb motor function and cognitive function of stroke survivors via conducting a long-term randomized controlled trial and analyze the patient's acceptance of the proposed system.

Methods: A double-blind randomized controlled trial was performed with 30 poststroke, subacute phase patients.

Associations between Upper Extremity Motor Function and Aphasia after Stroke: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Methods: Patients with stroke were compared and correlated from overall and three periods (1-3 months, 4-6 months, and >6 months). Fugl-Meyer assessment for the upper extremity (FMA-UE) and action research and arm test (ARAT) were used to compare the UE motor status between patients with PSA and without PSA through a cross-sectional study among 435 patients. Then, the correlations between the evaluation scale scores of UE motor status and language function of patients with PSA were analyzed in various dimensions, and the language subfunction most closely related to UE motor function was analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis.

Two cosine wave elastic-plastic contact model.

Based on Hertz elastic contact theory, the contact mechanics model of two cosine wave is established. The mechanical characteristics of the model in the elastic, elastic-plastic, and plastic stages were studied. The influence of load on contact deformation and other characteristics is considered.

Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) regulates post-myocardial infarction cardiac fibrosis through glucose-regulated protein of 78 kDa (GRP78).

Abnormal cardiac fibrosis indicates cardiac dysfunction and poor prognosis in myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Many studies have demonstrated that the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of fibrosis. Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1), a member of the UPS, is related to fibrosis in several heart diseases.

Research on the elastic-plastic external contact mechanical properties of cylinder.

Based on Hertz contact theory, an elastic-plastic contact mechanics model of outer cylinder under different contact angles of axis is proposed. The relationship among contact angle, load and contact deformation, contact stiffness and contact area is established. The finite element method is used to simulate the elastic-plastic contact process of the cylinder.

A Water-soluble Near-infrared Fluorescent Probe for Cysteine/Homocysteine and Its Application in Live Cells and Mice.

A near-infrared (NIR) and water-soluble probe was synthesized and studied for the detection of Cys/Hcy in aqueous solution, living cells and mice. The probe was composed of cyanine derivative as the NIR fluorescent reporting unit and pyrimidiny-thioether moiety as the Cys/Hcy responsive unit. Treatment with Cys/Hcy induced the formation of sulfur-substituted products, then intramolecular rearrangement reaction would occur to produce amino-substituted products and resulting in enhanced red fluorescence emissions.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of quinoxaline derivatives as tubulin polymerization inhibitors that elevate intracellular ROS and triggers apoptosis via mitochondrial pathway.

A series of novel quinoxaline derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antiproliferative activity in three human cancer cell lines. Compound 12 exhibited the most potent antiproliferative activity with IC in the range of 0.19-0.

Fluorescence detection of intracellular pH changes in the mitochondria-associated process of mitophagy using a hemicyanine-based fluorescent probe.

Intracellular pH behaves as a vital parameter in the physiological and pathological processes. Novel small molecule probes for precise and dynamic monitoring of pH fluctuations in cellular physiological processes are still highly required. Herein, we present a hemicyanine-based probe (HcPH) detection of the pH changes during the intracellular process of mitochondria-associated autophagy.